96 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



Length of the body in millimetres 



„ ., „ head ., % of tlie length of the body. 



Height „ „ first dorsal tin ,, „ ,, „ ,, ,, „ ,. . 



j» )j )j 



„ „ „ second „ , 



„ » .. anal „ 



Length ,, „ peetoral ,, 



„ ,, ,, ventral ,, 



Greatest depth of the body 

 Diameter of the eve 



head, 

 body, 

 head, 

 bod V . . 



head . . 

 snout . 



Distance from the first dorsal fin to the tip of the snout in % of the length of the body 



Length of the head in % of the distance from the first dorsal fin to the tip of the snout 



Distance from the second dorsal fin to the tip of the snout in % of the length of the body. 

 Length of the head in % of the distance from the second dorsal fin to the tip of the snout.. 



Distance from the anal fin to the tip of the snout in % of the length of the body 



Distance from the ventral fins to the tip of the snont in % of the length of the body 



The back is a bright steel-blue with a greenish 

 and reddish gloss. The belly silvery with several longi- 

 tudinal brown bands, generallj' four, ]:)ut sometimes 

 five or six, on each side, which run parallel to each other 

 from the front of the belly to the posterior part of the 

 lateral line, the caudal fin and the lower margin of 

 the tail. 



The Bonito" is one of the fishes most often observed 

 within the tropics. Like the large Tunnies and the 

 Dolphins {Corypluena) but -wdth even greater eagerness, 

 it hunts the Flying-fish, and in pursuit of its prey 

 often leaps high out of the \\'ater. We also know that 

 it sometimes hunts the Cuttle-fish. Its flesh is eaten, 

 "though it is dry enough", writes Osbeck; and it is 

 caught in the following manner: "A small fish is fa- 

 shioned of tin or lead and fastened to a large hook. 

 On opposite sides of the hook are fixed the tips of 

 a pair of feathers to imitate a flying-fish; another 

 pair of feathers are used to represent the caudal fin. 



The line is passed through the head of this imitation 

 fish, and taking his seat on the bowsprit or some 

 other part of the vessel, the fisherman waves the bait 

 to and fro above the water with his rod, till the fish 

 bites. The Bonitu is also struck witli the harpoon". 

 Within the tropics the Bonito is spread all round 

 the world, and in the temperate seas it goes at least 

 as far as round the Cape of Good Hope. In Japan it 

 is caught in great numbers and as an article of food 

 is in much request. In the Mediterranean it is appa- 

 rently rare, as oft' the coasts of England and the east 

 coast of North America. Here in the North its food 

 consists principally of Herrings, Anchovies and Sauries. 

 It was probably in pursuit of the herring-shoals that 

 it wandered in 1873 into the Cattegat, where a speci- 

 men was taken near Oroust on the 13th of October, 

 and another off Varberg in September, 1875, the only 

 two Bonitos as yet known to have been caught in Scan- 

 dinavian waters. Both have been described b)^ Malm. 



Body behind the 

 the snout and ( 

 adult specimens) 

 at most) of that 

 jmsterior dorsal 



The Greeks 

 yog (Aristot.), 



Subgenus ORCYNUS. 



corslet covered with scales. Height of the anterior dorsal fin equal to or less than the leiif/th of 

 in adult specimens) less than the height of the posterior dorsal. Height of the anal fin {in 

 e(pial to or greater than the length of the ventral fins, which is less than ^/g {from 50 % to 60 % 

 of the pectoral. Length of the head at least half the distance from the tip of the snout to the 

 fin. Eijes small. Small, but numerous, cardiform teeth on the palatine bones and the vomer. 

 Haimapop)hyses of the caudal vertebrm normal in form and structure. 



gave the Tunny the names of &vi'- (Athen.). As the first name Avas first employed sy- 

 'Oqxvvos (.Elian.) and Mi^ai'd'pvg stematically by Fabricius among the Hymenoptera, 



" "From the Spanish Bonito, beautiful", ss^'s OsBECK. 



